SFI 2012 Annual Meeting: Brief Notes

About 100 folks gathered at the Wheeler Art Community in Fountain Square on Sunday, January 22, to share a potluck meal, elect three new members to the Slow Food Indy board, and to listen to a panel of local cooks, farmers, and community leaders discuss the future of local food in central Indiana. Panel members included:

Neal Brown of Pizzology & Libertine
Matt Davis of KI Ecocenter
Greg Gunthorp of Gunthorp Farms
Dr. Lisa Harris of Wishard Health Services
Laura Henderson of Growing Places Indy
Tyler Herald of Patachou
David Robb of Heartland Farm

During the discussion, a recent report by Ken Meter was referenced frequently. Find links to various lengths of that report below:
Full Report: Hoosier Farmer? Emergent Food Systems in Indiana
Executive Summary: Hoosier Farmer?
Condensed Report: Hoosier Farmer?

At the end of the panel discussion, moderator Laura Henderson asked each speaker for a suggestion of one goal that Slow Food Indy should accomplish in the coming year.

Neal Brown & Tyler Herald suggested that urban agriculture become SFI's focus. Matt Davis echoed that refrain by urging the community to "get more in the dirt." Matt added, "People should know how to cultivate themselves." Greg Gunthorp urged SFI to create avenues for smaller scale producers to sell to larger institutions such as universities, citing the benefit of good, clean, and fair food for patrons of those institutions but also the need for regular demand and regular income as key to the success of local food producers. David Robb recommended that emphasis be brought to producer-only (not reseller) farmers markets as the key interface between producers and consumers (or "co-producers" as Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini likes to call us). Dr. Lisa Harris urged the SFI board to choose one measurable goal in line with SFI's mission and core values. "So that this time next year," Lisa continued, "we can measure our success."